If you are a cat person, you know that cats celebrate Christmas. They marvel at Christmas trees, attack wrapped gifts, give presents (c'mon! a dead mouse counts!), receive presents, and eat too much. This holiday behavior was shrewdly documented by B. ”Hap“ Kliban (1935–1990), the closest man to a cat anyone has ever encountered. For the first time, his dozens of Yuletide Cat cartoons and paintings have been collected in this charming but revealing little book.

As an extra added attraction, never-before-published Cat lyrics to well-known Christmas carols are included, researched and collected by Professor Winkie B. Earmites. Hark the Hungry Kitties Sing, We Wish You a Mousie Christmas, and Kitties We Have Heard on High are just a few of the rousing standards included. Click on the small picture above for an inside view.

About the Author
B. “HAP” KLIBAN (American, 1935–1990) belongs to the glorious tradition of cartoonists moved to take up their pens by the sloth, grace, and cunning of cats—or, as he was wont to spell it, qats. After art school, Kliban haunted Europe’s great museums, where he honed his talent for figure drawing. He made his way to San Francisco and took a series of jobs that included sketching the showgirls at the Mr. Wonderful Club. Between portraits of exotic dancers, Kliban did cartoons on cocktail napkins. In 1962 Kliban responded to an ad seeking cartoon contributions for Playboy; he worked for the magazine until the end of his life. During the 1970s, Kliban—a cat lover who insisted he was not “gaga” about the animals—would idly draw his four resident felines as he awaited inspiration for his cartoons. Those drawings found their way to a literary agent, and in 1975 his first collection, Cat, stalked onto the scene. The book was an instant sensation.